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It's a single moment that could have a huge impact on the season - for both teams.

A measured cross, a perfectly timed run, a well placed header. An equaliser at a pivotal stage in a pivotal game - the springboard for an unlikely turnaround and a massive victory.

You feared for Boro when, 53 minutes into a dreadful Championship affair, Sam Clucas hammered Stoke into a lead. Up to that point, Boro had been absolutely dreadful, lacking ideas, shape, pace and responsibility.

You feared for Boro. You feared for Woodgate. The Riverside were fans were getting restless and starting to turn. Understandably. Up to that point, Boro looked nothing like the side that played Charlton off the pitch last time out on home turf.

The visitors had Boro where they wanted them and looked set to climb above them in the Championship table. On Black Eye Friday, Boro looked set to take a damaging blow.

But then came the moment: the cross, the run, the header. Just four minutes after that Clucas opener, Ashley Fletcher ghosted in at the back post to level the score at 1-1 and immediately transformed the game and the atmosphere in the stadium.

This is the part where Woodgate deserves credit.

Lewis Wing celebrates his goal against Stoke

Just before the equaliser he'd called back Lewis Wing and Rudy Gestede from their warm-up and told them they were going on. Despite the equaliser, he still went ahead with the change, introducing Wing for Clayton and Gestede for Ste Walker, who had made his first league start for Boro.

It was an inspired change.

Less than 10 minutes after his introduction, Wing blasted home a stunner from distance to fire Boro six points ahead of their rivals.

Given just how poor Boro were before the opener, it was the unlikeliest of turnarounds. But how crucial the final 33 minutes in the final fixture before Christmas could turn out to be. For Boro, it's a huge victory and a huge boost ahead of another massive fixture against Huddersfield on Boxing Day. Terriers boss Danny Cowley was in attendance at the Riverside. He'll hope his team come up against the Boro of the first 53 minutes rather than the side that came to life after falling behind.

It's now five games unbeaten at home for Boro. The fact they're winless away means there's mounting pressure on at the Riverside but they're handling it. It's nine points from nine against rivals Barnsley, Charlton and Stoke.

For the Potters, this is the type of defeat that is hard to recover from. They've played Wigan, Luton, Reading and Boro in recent weeks and are still in the relegation zone. It gets harder now: Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham and West Brom before the end of next month.

This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out for Middlesbrough and Stoke: fighting against the real threat of relegation to League One.

Jonathan Woodgate

In recent years both clubs have been expected to steamroll the Championship after boldly throwing money around and assembling squads that were the envy of other bosses in the division.

But both have discovered that breaking spending records doesn't guarantee you success in the Championship. And rather than getting out of the division in the manner they craved, they're now both fighting to stay in it. On the showing of the first half, it's not hard to see why they're down there.

But Boro have shown real character in recent weeks, particularly at home. And they showed that character in the second half.

Woodgate has the mitigation of a threadbare squad and injuries and suspensions that have robbed him of key players throughout the season.

Stoke? They're in trouble. Even though from the outside looking in, it's still hard to believe they've found themselves in their current predicament: a squad packed with former internationals and Premier League players. On their bench they had a £12m player, a £10m player and a £7m player, plus Nick Powell, who most Championship bosses wanted in the summer.

Woodgate would love those options. The spine of Darren Randolph, Ryan Shotton, George Friend, Paddy McNair and Britt Assombalonga were all missing against Stoke, the head coach making two changes from the defeat to Swansea, bringing in Djed Spence for Marvin Johnson and Ste Walker up front for his first league start. It was a show of faith in both youngsters for such a big game.

Walker was full of running in the first half but was feeding on scraps. Spence looked cool and composed in possession again before he was replaced in the second period.

Given what was at stake and the fear of defeat for both sides, it was always likely to be a cagey and edgy game. But even set against those low expectations, the first half was dreadful: lacking quality, pace, intensity.

It took 28 minutes for something to happen: a chance for Ashley Fletcher that was turned around the post by Jack Butland.

A goalmouth scramble at the Riverside

Come 45 minutes there was next to nothing to report other than far too many sideways passes from Boro, particularly from the midfield.

Stoke were the better of two poor teams and at least showed a bit of adventure but looked as though they didn't know what to do when they got in and around the box. Sam Clucas turned a volley wide and Tom Ince had two hopeful punts from distance but that was about as good as it got in the opening 45 minutes for the visitors, who had lost four of their last five away games prior to their trip to Teesside.

Boro's only opening in the first half fell to Ashley Fletcher, who found himself with space and time in the box just before the half hour mark but saw his low angled shot tipped around the post by Butland.

It had the feel of a game that would be settled by a single goal, but then came the quick-fire double at the start of the second half.

Clucas fired the visitors ahead. A hopeful pass forward was badly misjudged by Dael Fry, allowing Lee Gregory to cross for James McClean. Pears made a superb point-blank save to deny McClean but Clucas was on hand to drill home the opener.

The visitors had Boro where they wanted them, and the fans, understandably restless, were starting to make their frustrations known. But the lead lasted just four minutes, Fletcher ghosting in at the back post to head home a Howson cross.

Woodgate made the aforementioned change.

On 71 minutes, a Stoke attack broke down and Boro countered. Marcus Tavernier did what his managed was screaming at him to do, travelled forward with the ball at his feet before playing it inside to Wing, midway inside the Stoke half.

The substitute took a touch before letting fly, his effort fizzing into the bottom corner. It's what Wing at his best is all about, a willingness to drive forward and to have a go.

The unlikely turnaround was complete. It will be a far happier Christmas for Boro and Woodgate than it threatened to be when Clucas fired home that opener.